Any Way the Wind Blows by Rainbow Rowell

Any Way the Wind Blows by Rainbow Rowell -- 579 pages

Simon, Baz, Penelope, and Agatha have returned to England after their adventures in America.  Each of them has to decide what they're going to do next.  Simon has to decide whether to leave the magic world or not.  Baz is bouncing between two family crises.  Penelope is searching for a way to save a Normal from a demon's curse.  And Agatha is just done with it all.

This is the third and final book about Simon Snow and his friends.  I loved the first book as it completely turned the "Chosen One" prophecy on its head.  The second book I couldn't get into and never finished.  The third book I loved.  The story was interesting as well as the character development.  I did think the plot was a little too easily resolved.  However, I would definitely recommend this book and the entire series .

 

Pumpkinheads by Rainbow Rowell

 

Pumpkinheads by Rainbow Rowell -- 209 pages

Deja and Josiah have worked at the Pumpkin Patch every fall for the past three years.  This is their last year there before college and their last chance.  It's Josiah's last chance to talk to the cute girl at the Fudge Shop and Deja's last chance to try all the different foods.  So they go on a mission to accomplish their dreams . . .

This was a cute graphic novel by Rainbow Rowell and illustrated by Faith Erin Hicks.  While you could tell exactly where the story was going to go the entire time it was fun to read along on their journey. 

Carry On by Rainbow Rowell

13.5 hours/528 pages

Simon Snow is the Chosen One. Or is he?

Simon, his best friend Penelope, his girlfriend Agatha, and his arch nemesis/room mate Basil have to save the magical world before the Humdrum destroys it by killing all the magic. But how do you do that when you don't know who you can trust not to betray you?

Landline by Rainbow Rowell

Landline by Rainbow Rowell -- 310 pages

Georgie's marriage lately has been tense...but then it always has been, because even though she loves Neal and he loves her, her career has come between them since they got together. Now she has finally gotten the break she needs to launch into the job of her dreams--on Christmas break. When Neal packs up their two girls and leaves to celebrate Christmas with his family, everyone treats Georgie as if he's left her. But has he? Is he finally done with her?

Georgie gets the chance of a lifetime when she calls Neal using her mother's old yellow rotary phone and finds herself talking to Neal--in the past. With this priceless gift, Georgie doesn't know what she should do, convince the young Neal to marry her? Or convince him not to.

I enjoyed listening to this as an audiobook.

Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell

Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell -- 328 pages 

Park had his own seat on the bus. He liked it that way. He kept his headphones in and kept away from conversation as much as possible. Then a new girl needed a seat. Crazy red hair, outlandish clothes, a not-so-small body....she was the last person Park wanted sitting next to him. So why did he offer his seat?

Eleanor sat there because there was no where else for her to sit, and the people in the back looked like they were about to maul her.

He kept his headphones in and comic books in his lap, she kept her gaze diverted.

Until she started reading his comic books. He started turning the pages slower. They finally said hello to each other.

This is a pretty sweet love story. I really felt for Eleanor because of her home life, and I fell in love with Park's home life.

There are no sex scenes but a few almost-sex scenes. I'd be careful about giving it to children.

Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell

Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell -- 445 pages

Cath is a Simon Snow fan.

Okay, the whole world is a Simon Snow fan...

But for Cath, being a fan is her life—and she’s really good at it. Cath writes fan-fiction and has thousands of followers for it. Cath and her twin, Wren, used to do it together, but now they're in college. Wren, the cool twin, told Cath that she wanted to room separately, and Cath was more than shocked, she was hurt. 

Cath is an introvert, socially awkward, and she loves the Simon Snow world more than the real one. Now she's stuck with a harsh roommate, who is rarely there, and her roommates lanky boyfriend, who is always there. 

I enjoyed this sweet story about Cath, a very relatable character, and her journey through her first two years of college. 

December 2015-first post by Jason Phinney

ADAM by Ted Dekker-406 pages

In this thriller, a divorced FBI agent named Daniel Clark has been chasing a serial killer known as "Eve" for months and seems no closer to catching him. Daniel's journey to uncovering the truth of "Eve's" identity and taking down the serial killer is a thrilling page-turner. The book is full of twists and turns, as every Dekker novel is, which is what I really enjoy about reading them.

Paper Towns by John Green-336 pages

Quentin Jacobsen has had a crush on the most popular girl in school (Margo Roth Spiegelman) since they were elementary kids and one "night on the town" changes everything for both Quentin (Q) and Margo. Margo disappears after that night and Q goes on a journey trying to solve the mystery of where Margo has gone by finding little clues she has left behind. Green explores high school relationships with peers and parents in this interesting novel, though I would say that The Fault in Our Stars is slightly better.

Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell-Audiobook, 336 pages in print

Park is a "geek" of asian descent who falls in love with Eleanor who is "full-figured" and is teased by other girls at school because of it. Eleanor's step dad is abusive to her, her siblings, and her mom. The story is about Eleanor and Park's journey to falling in love as teens. In the end, Park drives Eleanor to Minnesota to live with her aunt and uncle to get away from her abusive step dad.

I'll Give You the Sun by Jandy Nelson-384 pages

I'll Give You the Sun is a quirky, but good novel about twins whose mother dies in a car crash and their different methods of coping with her death. The twin brother is an artist and art is a major theme of the book. It also explores homosexuality and other relationships.

Will Grayson, Will Grayson by David Levithan and John Green-Audiobook, 310 pages in print

I did not get into this novel at all. I did not relate to either of the main characters and it was hard for me to finish, but I did. Two Will Graysons, both from the Chicago suburbs meet each other by chance and that is what should be the focus of the novel, but it is not. A large teen from school with one of the Will Graysons named Tiny (who is also gay) is really the focus of the novel. The other Will Grayson ends up falling in love with Tiny. Tiny has had a lot of boyfriends, though and is too much of the focus, as I mentioned earlier.

Aristotle & Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Saenz-368 pages

Ari and Dante are Latino teens in the 1980s. Saenz's novel details their journey to discovering their identities as people of Latino heritage and their relationship with each other and their parents.

.

Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell

Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell - 328 pages

Eleanor and Park are two misfits that connect on the school bus.  They spend ride to and from school talking about music and comics.  It's a friendship that eventually leads to something more.

I started out listening to this on audio.  While I enjoyed the narration, it seemed to move incredibly slow to me.  About halfway through I switched to the print book.  That seemed to flow better for me.

Carry On by Rainbow Rowell

Carry On by Rainbow Rowell - 522 pages

Simon Snow is the "Chosen One" -- chosen to save the world of magic from the Insidious Humdrum who is draining magic and creating dead spots all over England.  Unfortunately, he is the worst Chosen One ever.  He can't control his magic and it builds until it "explodes" destroying most everything in his vicinity.  That isn't his only problem.  His roommate and arch nemesis is a vampire that is trying to kill him -- only he hasn't shown up this school year.  His girlfriend doesn't think she can be with him anymore.  And the old magic families are about to declare war.

I really enjoyed this audio.  Even though it is a kind of parody of fantasy series for teens -- it's actually a really good fantasy story.  It's the "series" that Rowell's character in Fan Girl is obsessed with.  I enjoyed this enough that I might read Fan Girl to see if Rowell does realistic fiction as well as she does fantasy.